Calgary Mayor Is Open To Lifting City's Public Smoking Ban, But Only If People Ask For It

Calgary is one of numerous Canadian cities that have implemented a ban on smoking cannabis in public. However, Mayor Naheed Nenshi says his administration could be swayed to overturn the no-smoking bylaws if that's what his constituents want.

"If there are huge calls for change, we'll have those," Nenshi told The Growth Op, noting that people will find ways to smoke up regardless of what the laws are. "As I've said before, folks who wanted to consume cannabis on October 16th figured out how to do it and on October 17th, they also figured out how to do it."

Establishing several public consumption sites in Calgary had previously been proposed by Councillor Gian-Carlo Carra but were ultimately shot down. Nenshi says the city is not working on any changes right now and that the smoking ban "appears to be working."

"I've been all over the city and I haven't smelt any [cannabis], which was not what I was expecting. I think people are being responsible."

Despite the fact that he "would've liked to have more retail locations open in time for Day One, Nenshi admits legalization has gone "about as smoothly as we could've hoped" in Calgary.

Revoking their public smoking ban would put Calgary's regulations more inline with the much laxer ones established in the province's capital, Edmonton. There, cannabis smoking is being treated the same as tobacco and the city has established designated smoking zones on two of their most populated streets.

So, if Calgarians ask for it, they may find it a whole lot easier to light a joint in public.

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The city of Lawrence, Kansas, is looking to make it so that a marijuana possession fine costs less than a cup of coffee for first and second time offenders. The proposed $1 possession fine would replace their current $200 penalty, as well as a $63 court fee. Those charged under the current regulations also have to undergo a court evaluation, which comes with additional costs.